Food

Norwich Playhouse

With its high stakes, monstrous egos and ever-expanding public profile, it was surely only a matter of time before someone seized the dramatic possibilities inherent in the world of top celebrity chefs.

Scripted jointly by Suffolk-born Joel Horwood and director Christopher Heimann, this production won the company salivating reviews and a Fringe First award at last year's Edinburgh Festival.

For the driven Frank, achieving three Michelin stars comes some way above world peace as a desirable prospect. But after a giddy ascent that sees him feted by fawning journalists, promot-ing branded ready meals leaves a sour taste indeed. By the time he realises that wife Cherry's support has turned to cold ambition and that his children have grown up without him, it is far too late…

This exhilarating play shows the terrible costs of one man's rigid pursuit of professional excellence. Charting Frank's progress from charismatic go-getter to dead-eyed paranoiac, James Staddon's central performance is terrific, spurred on by a well-drilled ensemble cast.